STOLZ
by Sunrisepainter
Summary: Tomboy Cathleen (called Cat) just moved from England to Tokyo. She's still in middle school, but soon she'll meet some real high school guys...and they are delinquents!
1. Prologue

**© Sunrisepainter:** STOLZ

* * *

Title: STOLZ*

Fandom: Gokusen 2

Genre: School, Romance

Language: English

Author: Sunrisepainter

Raiting: K+

Plot: Tomboy Cathleen (called Cat) just moved from England to Tokyo. She's still in middle school, but soon she'll meet some _real_ high school guys...and they are delinquents!

* * *

 **STOLZ**

 _by Sunrisepainter_

Prologue

* * *

There were a bunch of guys lingering around in the street in front of a drugstore. It was around ten o'clock in the evening and they were really bored. There was nothing to do and they did not want to do the same stuff everyday.

"Oi, do you see that chick?", suddenly one of them piped up. A little bored the others followed his pointing finger and were surprised when they saw the girl on the other side of the street. Some of them whistled.

"Whoa, she's really somethin' special!"

"Nice body!"  
She was indeed pretty. She was tall. Her long, slender legs were showing through her pink hot pants. Her curves were just in the right places and her long natural blond hair went up to her waist.

"I've decided: I'm gonna do her", the leader of the group smirked and threw his cigarette away. He put his hands in his pocket and slowly went over to the girl.

Coming closer he saw that even her face was pretty. Her facial features were quite fine and her eyes had an emerald green color. She was obviously a foreigner.

"Hello", he tried to say in his best English. He wanted to impress her.

She looked up to him but did not return his smile. Instead, her expression was very indifferent and passed him as if he was invisible.

"Where you go?", it took him some time to form this sentence. But she still did not bother to answer or even look at him. Unfortunately he was not one of the patient kind of guys.

"Oi, you stupid bitch, why are you ignoring me? I tried to be nice but you're so stuck up just because you're a little cute!", he switched back to Japanese.

He went after her and gripped her. She stopped and starred at his hand on her wrist.

"If you can't understand me then I just have to make you understand", he pulled tried to pull her into an alleyway, but she did not move an inch. He stopped. What was going on? Normally girls were easily dragged along by him.

"I understand you just perfectly", he heard her say and shivers went down his spine. Her voice was unusually dark and cold.

"You speak Japanese?", he asked in surprise. She did not answer.

"So, if you can understand me, that makes everything easier", the smirk went back to his face, "so let's go somewhere and have a good time together. I'll show you around a little."

"Let go", she whispered and there was a dangerous undertone.

"What did ya say?"

"I would appreciate it if you would let go of me now", as she looked right into his eyes. He felt as if a cold wind was just blowing into his face.

"It is for your own sake", she added coldly.

"Come on, don't be so feisty. I'm a really nice guy", he laughed, but soon regretted it after he felt a sharp pain in his neck. In less then two seconds he was down on his knees, and she landed another punch on his chin. He was seeing stars and wondered how such a fragile girl could be so damn strong.

"Bastard, don't fuck with me again!", she spit out and flipped back her long hair.

"Who the hell are you, little bitch?", he gasped. A sweet smile formed on her lips as she stepped on his chest which made him fall on his back.

"My name is Wataya Cathleen and I'm the nightmare of every guy, got it?"

Cathleen "Cat" Wataya had always been different from other girls her age. She was a half blood and a real beauty. She had the facial features of her father, a Japanese, and the body size, hair and eyes from her mother, an English lady.

Cat was born in Japan, but when she was three years old her family moved to London. Her mother came from a very wealthy family. However, after she married a Japanese she was disowned by her cruel father. Cat did not know the details of this story, but she knew that her parents had some really hard times when she was little. Her father had opened a small shop for Asian food but soon it had to close down. While he took care of his daughter and did the chores, his wife was really successful in her work. She started as a simple secretary and later became the CEO of her own firm.

Cat was already used to the unusual constellation of her family. Her mother was a cold and liberated business woman that brought home a lot of money, and her dad was...well...a houseman. He was warm and kind and very good at cooking. Instead of her mother who was always working, he took care of his daughter.

Cathleen had always been a clever and independent girl. She was affected by her mothers coldness and embarrassed of her fathers behavior. She seldom brought one of her school mates home, because she was scared of being made fun of, if someone found out that her father always wore frilly aprons and made little cakes for his daughter. Cat was very pampered by her dad and maybe that was the reason why she became like this. A cool tomboy that was strong, good at fighting and did not want anyone to tell her what to do. Her teachers were always worrying about her. Although she had good grades and was pretty intelligent for her age, she was always in trouble and often beat up the boys in her class. Her dad, Mr. Wataya, did not mind her behavior at all. He often told her that he loved her just as she was and that he was very proud of her. He even gave her the nickname "Cat".

Her mother, Mrs Wataya, on the other side was not pleased at all. She wanted her daughter to be a calm and soft girl that behaved like a little lady. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why Cat did not get along with her.

All in all, they were a strange little family. And because her mother was the "leader" they had to follow her to Japan. She wanted to open a new branch of her firm in Tokyo and so her daughter and her husband had no other choice as to come along with her. Well, Cat and her father did not mind at all. Although they just wanted to stay for a year, they were quite excited. Mr. Wataya already started to miss his home country and Cat wanted to know more about her Japanese roots. Her dad often told her a lot of stories about this country that she could not remember at all. Of course she spoke Japanese perfectly but she did not know a lot about the culture itself.

She was fourteen years old now and wanted to see the world. She would go to a new school, get to know new people and a lot of other fun things. When they first arrived at the airport she was more then excited. Well, but now...

After three days in a new town, that seemed to be even bigger, noisier and dirtier than London, she was a little disappointed. Everyone starred at her because she looked differently. She felt like an exotic animal that they saw for the first time. It was strange.

And then these terrible boys that looked like thugs! They seemed to be everywhere she went. Her father told her not to go out alone at this hour but she could not help herself and sneak out at night. Mr. Wataya often seemed to forget that his daughter was much stronger than other girls of fourteen.

Cat looked down on the boy on the floor. Yes, she was different. She was not only a pretty face but also pretty strong and pretty clever. She chuckled.

The flirtatious guy gave her a strange look. He was confused. At first that girl looked like a snow princess, then she became a hot headed tomboy and now she was on the way of becoming insane.

He jumped back on his feed and secretly took his leave. But Cat already forgot about him.

She pushed some strands of her wild hair out of her face and skipped on one leg along the pavement. She was on her way to the nearby drugstore to get some ice cream. It was still warm outside. The summer would be over soon and then she would start school in Japan. She was excited for it was her last year being a middle school kid. In the following year she would finally be a high school girl. But for now she wanted to enjoy her last summer as being a child.

Her father had promised her to bring her to one of these summer festivals. She often heard him telling her about it and always wanted to try it herself. Mr. Wataya even wanted her to wear a kimono but she immediately refused to this. She could not stand any kind of dresses and skirts. It had always been hard on her that she had to wear a skirt as her school uniform. But even in Japan she knew that she could not avoid this.

"What a bummer", she mumbled, "sometimes I wish I was a boy."

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 ** _End of Prologue._**

* * *

*"STOLZ":

 _The title is the German word for "pride"._


	2. Paper scoops

**© Sunrisepainter:** STOLZ

* * *

 **STOLZ**

 _by Sunrisepainter_

 ** _A/N_** _ **:** So, this is eventually my third fanfiction about Gokusen. This project will probably be one of my longest as I planned about 50 chapters. However, they are much shorter than usually and aouthors often have a change of heart ;). I didn't get any reviews yet, but I'll hope this will change after posting the first chapter. Furthermore, I'm still looking for proof readers, so if you're interested or if you want to recommend someone, please write me :). Have fun with Cat and her friends and please, please tell me your opinion._

 _Take care._

 _Nina_

* * *

 **Chapter One:** Paper scoops

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"And you're sure you want to go like _this_? I bought such a nice yukata for you...won't you at least try it on, Cat?", her father begged her for the second time.

"What's your problem, dad? I think I look just fine", she answered and eyed herself in the mirror. Baggy pants, sneakers, a T – shirt and a cap that hid her long hair. Perfect. She did not look like a girl at all. Her father sighed:  
"Well, I know that you're headstrong. I admit defeat. It doesn't matter what you wear as long as you have fun. Also, I think everything looks good on you, my little kitty."  
"Thanks dad", she kissed him on the cheek. He beamed at her in return and changed out of his apron. Today, it was a light blue one with a dogs head on it. He always wore different aprons everyday. Even Cat did not know how many of them he possessed. Somehow, these frilly aprons became his trademark. Of course, she would never tell anyone about her family. She loved her father very dearly but at the same time she was slightly ashamed of his feminine behavior.

But as they strolled side by side along the busy street, no one would have thought that this man actually had this side to him. He looked like a normal father who shew his son around town.

"What's this?", Cat stopped at a stall selling paper scoops. On the ground, there were some small bowls with goldfish in them.

"This is a traditional Japanese game where you have to dip for goldfish", her father explained, "do you want to try it out?"

Cat cooked her head to the side and watched some little kids trying to catch one of the fish. A little girl wearing a light green yukata started to cry as her scoop broke and the fish splashed back into the water.

"It looks like fun. Well, let's bring it on!", Cat smiled, rolling up her sleeves. Her father bought two paper scoops for them. They got down on their knees and watched the fish swimming around in the bowl.  
"Good luck, 'til now nobody was successful", the vender laughed. Cat ignored him. She only had her eyes on one of the fish. It seemed to be the biggest one but at the same time, she noticed that one of its fins was slightly injured. Next to her, she heard her father sigh in disappointment:  
"Too bad, it broke!"

Cat opened her plastic back a little more and then, with cyberspeed, caught her targeted fish. At first, it struggled a little but it could not move as much as its siblings. Cat put it into the bag and indifferently looked at her dad:

"Do we have to pay extra for the fish?"  
Her dad only stared at her and then at the goldfish in her bag.  
"Wow, he caught it. Did you see it? He's really cool", the kids started to mumble and also stared at her.

The kids were really in awe. Cat noticed the little girl who couldn't catch a fish stare at her as well. She got back on her feed and handed the plastic back to the younger girl.  
"Here, take it. I don't like fish."

"C-can I really take it?", the girl asked hesistantly.

"Sure. Take good care of it", a small smile formed on the older girls lips. The little girl beamed with joy.

"Thank you, thank you very much!"

"Let's go, dad", Cat said as her father was not moving. Slowly, he followed her, and then he laughed:

"You did a good deed today. That little girl was really happy, you know?"

"I didn't do it because of her. I just don't like fish. They have cold eyes and they're really dumb creatures."

"Don't be shy, my little kitty. You're a good girl", he ruffled her hair, "you might be cool and a tomboy but you have your heart in the right place. Just like your mother."

His daughter grimaced:  
"Where does this evil creature have a heart? She's a demon, I tell you!"

"Don't talk like this. I know that she might seem like a cold person but she actually cares a lot about you. So don't talk like this."

"Hmph, it's useless to talk with _you_ about these things, dad", she complained.

"Don't get angry. Let's just have some fun. What about that: I'll go and buy something to eat and you wait here like a good daughter, okay?"

"Geez, how old am I?", she crossed her arms but gave him one of her rare bright smiles.

As her father was gone, she had some time to observe the scenery around her a little more. There were lots of couples today. Most of the girls were dressed up prettily and their boyfriends couldn't take their eyes off of them.

She snorted. Dates, kissing, dressing up, being all lovey – dovey...this all didn't matter to her at all. She thought that these kind of things were pretty useless and silly. She had her first boyfriend in second grade, and the only times they had physical contact was when they were tussling with each other. Well, it didn't take that long and they broke up. After two days, he was more interested in a girl who had bought him a popsicle. Since then, Cat thought that having a relationship wasn't that great and long lasting as everyone wanted to make her believe.

She was brought back to the present as she was forcefully pushed to the ground. A bunch of guys passed her and were followed by some other hoodlums carrying bats, bicycle chains and iron rods. They were shouting at each other. Obviously, there was something like a gang fight going on. Being short-tempered and despising men, she couldn't help but going after them.

Whoever pushed her down: she would teach him a lesson and make him begging at her knees for forgiveness.

They soon reached a grand iron bridge that looked as if it was even older than the river beyond it. At first, the girl hid herself behind a pillar and watched the fight from a short distance. She was impressed by the one group who seemed to be strong and agile, whereas the members of the other group were only violent.

She soon found the person that run into her. It was a guy with brownish tousled hair. She still recalled him wearing a skull necklace. She could only see it for short moment. However, even if she saw something just in the blink of an eye, she would never forget about it. She watched him fighting two other guys at the same time. He was pretty fast. She was faster. And definitely stronger.

She waited calmly until the side with the guy, wearing that necklace, won. It was remarkable because there were only three of them and the other eight were armed.

"Don't worry, we'll get back at you. Be prepared", the leader of the opposing group disgorged.

"Pft, don't joke around. You'll never beat us", skull-guy laughed, "you guys from Ara High are just weaklings. Otherwise, you wouldn't hide yourself behind your toys."

But the "loser group" just scrammed, and the other three guys started to mend their own wounds. They were in a pretty bad shape but Cat didn't show any mercy. As usual, she was her cold self as she stepped out of the shadow and called out to them:

"Hey, you bastards! How dare you push me aside like that! Don't mess with me, got it?!"

"Who the hell are _you_?"

"Doesn't matter. I just want you to apologize to me", she said and crossed her arms looking at them in expectation. The guys shared a gaze and then their leader smirked:

"I don't have to say sorry to someone I don't even know. By the way...", he stepped closer and squeezed his eyes together, "you have green eyes. Are you a freaking foreigner?"

"Well, then there's no helping it", she sighed and got into a fighting pose.

"Hayato, looks like that weirdo wants to fight you, man", one of the other boys laughed. The leader, obviously he was called Hayato, smirked even wider and nonchalantly threw his head back, "I guess he's new in town, so he has no clue who he's messing with. Maybe, I should go easy on-", he was cut off as Cats food met his chin. Before he could even realize what was going on right now, he was on the ground starring up into two furious dark green eyes.

"Who should go easy on whom, huh?", now it was _her_ time to smirk at him.

"You...", Hayato jumped back to his feed and wiped the blood from his mouth. His eyes burned with anger.

"Okay, then let's get real. But remembe,r that you brought it upon yourself, freak."

And some minutes later, both of them were rolling around on the ground, punching and cursing each other brazenly. The others joined in by cheering their leader.

"Bastards!", Cat was on top of her opponent and hit him on the nose. Hayato felt as if he just ran into a stone wall.

"This guy is pretty strong although he looks like a total wimp", he thought bitterly, "he might even be stronger than me. But I won't let him defeat me. Not today."

Gathering all his strength together, he pushed the foreigner forcefully off himself by kicking his stomach. Unintentionally, Cat uttered a squeaky noise but was quickly back on her feed. She pushed her long blond hair back and was about to strike him back but stopped right in her tracks. Her blond hair?

Suddenly it was very quiet under the old bridge. Everyone starred at Cat as she felt her head, hoping to touch the fabric of her cap. But it wasn't there anymore. Well, that was no wonder because the cap already lay on the ground next to her feed.

"You-you're a girl..."one of the boys stuttered.

"Shut up!", she yelled. Then she did something which made her feel very cowardly. She picked up her cap and started to run away.

"Whoa, who had thought that this weird guy was actually a chick", Tsuchiya Hikari was quite amused.

"Yeah, and a really pretty one as well", his friend Hyuga Kosuke licked his lips, "what do you think, Hayato?"

But their leader Yabuki Hayato didn't think anything. He was just starring at the spot where that strange foreigner just stood seconds ago. His face was really pale. Worriedly, Hikari and Kosuke looked at each other.

"Damn!", Hayato cursed and pushed his fist into the sandy ground. He was pissed. He was really pissed. Not that his opponent had been a foreigner but also a girl! A girl that almost beat him!

Cat was confused. And there was another emotion inside of her that she couldn't quite describe. It occurred to her after she had seen the look on the boys face. The boy called Hayato. And at the same time, she saw his expression, she was ascertain that their fight was over. He would not hit a girl. She was sure of it. Although the three of them looked like delinquent high school boys, she could tell that they had a lot of pride. People like them would not beat a girl. And that made her angry. She was furious to the point that she was tempted to go back and punch the hell out of them.

"Cat, where have you been? I told you to stay there", she suddenly heard the agitated voice of her father. Quickly, she put her cap back on and tried to hide her face. But her dad knew her well enough.

"Did you get into a fight? Oh Cat, what shall we do with you? If your mother finds out..."

"Then don't tell her", Cat snapped at him. She felt a little guilty for being so rude to him but she was in a really bad moodrght now. Her father only sighed.

"I guess that would be better. Let's go home and treat your wounds before she comes back."  
Cat did not resist. She knew that her father would never tell her mother about her "sins". He had always been on her side and even protected her when she and her mother would fight.

"But you have to promise me one thing", she had never seen him so serious, "as soon as you enter your new school you have to keep out of trouble. Japanese schools are a lot stricter than your school in Britain. Do you understand?"

Cat gritted her teeth. In comparison to other schools in Britain, her school had always been very casual. There was no school uniform and everyone could arrange their own timetable.

"I promise", she mumbled, "I try not to do anything rash, 'kay?"

Her dad nodded contentedly. He was not sure how long her promise would last, but for now he trusted her.

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter One.**_


	3. Envelope

**©Sunrisepainter:** _STOLZ_

* * *

 **STOLZ**

 _by Sunrisepainter_

 ** _A/N : _**_Thank you_ **vikki** _for your first comment :). It really made my day. Please enjoy the second chapter. The third chapter will follow tomorrow._

* * *

 **Chapter Two:** Envelope

* * *

"I look ridiculous!"

"To me, you look like a normal middle school girl so act like one."

Cat glared at her mother who was just getting ready for work. In her black formal pantsuit, she just looked like all the other Japanese business women that overcrowded the streets of Tokyo. But more than the masculine clothes of her mother, she hated her own school uniform. Especially, the carved short skirt was much too showy for her taste. Was she even able to fight in that thing without anyone seeing her underwear?

No. Furiously, Cat shook her head. She promised her father to stop fighting. She had to bear with her new life. Her father now handed her a pink lunch box and kissed her on the cheek.

"Remember our promise and don't let them provoke you. Some of the Japanese customs might seem strange to you but try to deal with them."

"I know", she mumbled and saluted, "gonna go now. Bye."

Before her parents could utter another word of concern, she was gone in a flash. Her father scratched his head:

"Dear, I hope our daughter will be fine. She's a good girl but sometimes her temper is stronger than everything else."

And Cat indeed did her best to behave herself. She didn't even say anything when some old man pushed her out of the way as he wanted to catch his train. No, she just clenched her teeth and bare with it. Everything was fine until she stood in front of her new school. Cheerily, boys and girls were walking through the entrance of Komori Middle School. Cat couldn't share their laughter. She was still a little depressed about the fact that she had to wear this stupid uniform, and she was angry at herself for getting more and more helpless. She still didn't forget her coward act at the river bank several days ago. As a consequence, she couldn't even fix her mistake now because of the promise to her father. It was very frustrating. How could she go on without fighting bad people?

"Young miss, are you a new student?", some teacher asked her bluntly. One look told her, that he was a total geek. Big glasses, ugly tie and a fake smile plastered on his face. These were the kind of people she hated the most but she had to keep her promise.

"Yeah", she answered as sweetly as she could.

"Well", the teacher cleared his throat and looked her up and down, "I'll let it slide because it's you're first day, but from tomorrow onwards you have to act according to the rules of this school."

Cat raised an eyebrow and had a really hard time fighting back her ill-mannered temper:

"What do you mean, Sir?"

"Sensei. You have to call me sensei. It would be the common way to address a teacher. And in our school, bleached hair, piercings and all other kinds of inappropriate attire is not allowed."

"What are you saying? My hair is naturally blond", she talked back and added with a sweet smile: " _Sensei_!"

Cat could see a vein popping out on his forehead. She had to bite her tongue holding back the laughter.

"Tell me your name!", he ordered and took a notepad from his pocket.

"Wataya, Cathleen."

"Wataya, Katoline?"

"Cathleen."

"Kato-"

"Well, just call me Cat, _sensei_ ", irritated she rolled her eyes.

"So Wataya – kun, I will inform your new teacher about your rebellious behavior and he'll be in charge of your punishment. And now, off with you to the principles office", the teacher spit out and pushed her back which made her bump into a smaller boy. As the boy saw her glare furiously at the teacher, he swiftly made way for her. She gave him an apologetic smile:

"Sorry, I' not angry at you but at that nerdy bastard of a teacher."

"Well, don't worry about it. Koukichi – sensei is always like that. The other teachers are a lot easier to deal with", the boy told her.

"Koukichi – sensei", she repeated and smirked, "I guess I'll clash with him even more from now on." The boy raised an eyebrow:

"Yeah, to be honest, you look a little like a delinquent. Uhm, I don't mean it in a bad way though. You're not Japanese, are you?"

"Nope, I'm a half-blood. My mum's English."

"Wow", he seemed to be very impressed, "I suck at English."

"I can tutor you if you need help. I guess the stuff you do in first year is way too easy for me but I'm a helpful person", she winked. He started to laugh, and she wondered if her Japanese was really that messed up.

"Did I use a wrong word?"

"No. You're Japanese is perfectly fine. It's just that I'm not a first year anymore. To tell the truth, I'm actually a third year."

"What? You're kidding! You don't look like someone entering High School next year", she admitted.

He sighed:

"Yeah, I get that often."

"People often tell me that I'm too _tall_ for a Middle School kid but I don't care about such things, so don't worry", she tried to comfort him because she noticed him getting a little depressed about his height, "so we're actually in the same year. By the way, my name is Wataya Cathleen but my friends just call me Cat."

"So, it's Wataya – san. I'm Ishiguro Ken. Please take care of me", he bowed his head and Cathleen just nodded. She was still a little hesitant when it came to Japanese courtesy. But she thought that Ken was a pretty nice guy, and she wondered if they would end up in the same class.

Cat was lucky. She ended up in class 3-2 which was the same as Ken's. Her teacher was a young and dynamic woman, and even her classmates seem to be kind and funny. Well, except for one guy. He was always alone and looked a little gloomy. She wondered why he didn't join in when the whole class surrounded her for asking a bunch of questions. Cat didn't mind the situation. She liked to be the center of attention and she happily chatted with everyone. She complained about the school uniform and she earned a lot of laughter when she couldn't pronounce the Japanese word for "homework".

It was so much fun that she soon forgot about the lonely guy but at that time she didn't know that she would meet him again, just under different circumstances.

It all started when Cat was told to sweep the back of the schoolyard. Although her new teacher was nice, she was also very strict. When the teacher heard about her new student's behavior, she decided to punish her. Cat wasn't that upset about the whole thing. In her old school, she had been disciplined several times. Therefore, she was already used to something like sweeping.

"Here's the key to the utility shed. After your work, bring it back to the teachers office", her teacher had told her. But why didn't she mention that the utility shed was at the other side of the school yard? Cat had to walk almost ten minutes to get there. She didn't even now that the school grounds where this big.

"What the hell is this school?", she mumbled to no one in particular.

"Well, this school was actually build as a boarding school for sport students but at the beginning of the 1990th they changed it to a public school. They even tore down the bedroom buildings and track fields", a voice from behind her piped up.

"Ah, it's you again", Cat said monotonously. Ken just gave her a bright smile.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you going home?", she asked as they walked on. He had problems catch up to her because his legs were not as long as hers.

"I just thought that you might need someone to help you. After all, it's your first day."

"Well, thanks for your offer but I'm doing just fine", she was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Okay, it was just me being nice", he snapped back, "don't feel offended."  
As he turned around to go back, she sighed:  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to boys being nice to me."

"Well, I'll take your apologize", the smile was back on his face, "did the boys at your old school bully you?"

"No, that's not it. They just were a little afraid of me. Well, not that I minded, but they always...", she stopped in the middle of the sentence and starred at something ahead of them.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Pst, shut up", she whispered and pulled him behind a big tree, "isn't that a guy from our class?"

About five meters away, there was a group of four boys. Cat recognized one of them as the gloomy guy from her class. He was surrounded by three other guys who looked like classical delinquents, with piercings and blond hair. They wore a different uniform and Cat presumed that they were High School students.

"Yes, that's Taku-kun", Ken whispered, "but what's going on?"

"It looks like they're threatening him. Do you know these guys?", Cat asked and she unconsciously clenched her fist. Ken squirmed his eyes to have a better look and he nodded his head:

"I think they are from the same school as Taku-kun's older brother. Kurogin High. But what do they want with him?"

"You seem to know a lot about him", she noticed. The smile on Ken's was sad this time:  
"Yeah, in grade school we were good friends, but then he began to ignore me."

"And you've never asked him why?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. It seemed as if Ken didn't want to talk about it. For now, she tried to suppress her curiosity and went back to the scene in front of them. Now, Taku gave one of the older boys something that looked like an envelope. The receiver grinned and pushed the younger one to the ground. The older guys laughed. Cat couldn't bear to watch it any longer. Without thinking about her promise, she left her hideout and called out to the high school boys:

"Oi, what's going on?"

Everyone turned around, just to see a blond girl, burning with anger, rushing over.

"Who're you?", one of the older guys asked.

"She's looking pretty hot, maybe she wants to go play with us", another smirked.  
"You-", Cat was about to bash them up when suddenly Ken appeared next to her:  
"Stop it, Wataya-san, Koukichi-sensei will be here soon. I just saw him."

"A teacher? Let's go", one of the boys said and all three of them escaped.

"Did you really see, Koukichi-sensei?", Cat asked after the bad guys couldn't hear them anymore.

"No, I just wanted to stop you from doing something stupid", Ken winked. She padded his shoulder:  
"Thanks man, I couldn't control myself there." She looked at Taku who was still sitting on the ground.  
"Hey, are you okay?", she smiled and gave him a hand but he roughly brushed it off.

"I don't need your concern. Mind your own business", he grumbled, got back on his feed and walked off as if nothing happened.  
"This jerk!", Cat switched to English and wanted to go after him but she was hold back by Ken again.

"Just let him be. Since the beginning of Middle School, he had always been like this."

"Didn't you say you were friends back then? Why don't you try to make up with him?", she couldn't understand Ken at all. If one of her friends wouldn't talk to her anymore, she would try everything to know the reason why.

"You're one of the noisy ones, aren't you", he was amused, "sorry, but the friendship between me and Taku wasn't that strong in the first place, so I think it's best to forget about the whole thing."

"Okay, okay", she mumbled, but she was already determined to learn more about Taku and Ishiguro Ken. Yes, maybe she was noisy, and maybe she was even annoying but that was just the way she rolled.

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 _ **End of Chapter Two.**_


	4. Doorstep

**© Sunrisepainter:** _STOLZ_

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 **STOLZ**

 _by Sunrispainter_

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 **Chapter Three:** Doorstep

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"So how was school? Did you cause any trouble?", her father asked Cat after she came home.

"Nope, all's fine", she lied.

"So you didn't offend any teachers or got into fights with the boys?", his voice had this distrusting ring to it.

"Of course not, daddy. Didn't I promise you?", she smiled innocently. He just cocked his eyebrow and put on one of his frilly, pink aprons to make dinner.

"When is mom coming?", she threw her school bag on the table.

"I think she's working overtime again, so it'll be only you and me eating dinner", Mr. Wataya answered, "and don't put things on the table that don't belong there. Don't you have to do some homework?"

"Yeah, but it's math. I don't get it anyway."

"You should at least give it a try, Kitty. As long as you do your best in everything-"

"...you'll see the brighter side of life", she rolled her eyes, "that's what you always tell me but up to now life is only filled with darkness and destruction."

"What happened? Did something bring you down?", he asked worried.

"There's just this guy at school that irritates me somehow", she mumbled.

"A new friend?", her dad was delighted.

"Kind of, he's very energetic and nice but he wouldn't help his best friend who seems to be in trouble."

"Did you question him about it?"

"Of course, he says that he isn't his friend anymore because of something that happened in the past. In my opinion that doesn't matter. When I see someone in trouble, I have to help him. Isn't it irrelevant if this one is your friend or not?" Her father laughed:  
"That's just like you, Cat. You're that kind of person and that's why your mother and I are so proud of you", he smiled. She scratched her head in embarrassment and then she made a sour face:

"Well, I'm sure that you are. However, that old hag thinks I'm the shame of our family."

Her father just sighed but didn't say anything. She could tell that he didn't think the same way. Well, there must have been a reason he was willed to marry the monster which was unfortunately also her own mother. Cat sometimes had the strange presumption that her father had actually been blackmailed by Mrs. Wataya into marrying her. But her father was the most honest person she knew, so there was no way he could have been hiding something like a crime or another dark secret from his past. After all, the only think he could have been blamed for was his girly sense of style.

"Anyway", he interrupted her stream of thoughts, "I don't think that you're friend doesn't want to help this troubled guy. Perhaps, he's just not sure what to do."

Cat had never thought of that. Maybe Ken was only insecure and didn't know if this Taku – guy would even accept his help. It had been a good idea to ask her father for advice.

"Maybe you should also have a talk with the other kid. You could carefully ask a few questions."

"That's a pretty good idea, dad", she said impressed, "do you think it would be a good thing for me to meddle? I mean, boys are sometimes very touchy..."

"I'm sure you'll do the right thing", he tried to cheer her up, "after all you're my bright, strong and confident little Kitty."

"Thank you, daddy. You're the best", she smiled and kissed him on the cheek before she went up in her room.

"Wait, don't you want to eat with me?"

"Sorry, I'm busy. Homework, you know."

Actually, Cat lied to her dad about doing homework. In truth she looked on the internet for Kens E-Mail-address. It was the first time she contacted a Japanese, so she wasn't quite sure of what to write. As she sent him a short notice to meet her later near the school building, she was almost sure that her text was pretty messed up. She didn't care. All that matters was that he came to the meeting point.

And he came. She could see that he was very surprised by her sudden invitation but there was no time for explanations.

"Let's go to his place", she said straight forward.

"To whom's place?", he was confused.

"Taku's of course."

"No", he furiously shook his head, "forget it, Wataya – san. I already told you that I don't- "

"Yeah, I know", she looked at him, "but isn't it irrelevant how strong you're friendship was? I just know you for a day and I would already do anything to save you from any danger. And I don't know this Taku but I somehow want to help him. Won't you do it together, Ken-kun?"

He bit his bottom lip and just stared at her. She could tell that he was fighting with himself. He was in a dilemma and in the end she was sure that she had won.

"Okay, I'll go with you, but just to show you the way. I don't want to talk with him, understand?"

"Thank you", she was genuinely happy about his decision.

Half an hour later they stood in front of an unadorned building. It looked a little smaller than the house of Cat and even more Japanese. Well, perhaps it was just her imagination that her own house had some European traits to it, compared to other houses in her neighborhood.

"Well, that's as far as I go", Ken said, "bye."

"Wait, I can't go alone. That guy doesn't even know me that well", she dragged him with her to the doorstep. Of course, he protested:

"You said I don't need to go in!"

"No, I promised you that you won't need to talk to him", she smiled mischievously.

"You're the most cunning woman I've ever met", he complained but eventually stopped struggling. Maybe, it was only because the girl was much stronger anyway. Cat let go of his arm and put her hair into a ponytail:

"Bring it on!"

Ken raised his eyebrow:

"You wanna fight him?"

"Well..."

"Seriously, you're crazy", he shook his head but at the same time he was smiling, so she took this answer as an approval and ringed the bell.

It was opened immediately by a middle- aged man with a grim face. He eyed the children in confusion:  
"Who're ya? Did one of my boys cause trouble again? Did they beat you up?"

"No...", Cat was a little taken aback, "we're friends of Taku...uhm... Taku – kun." The man squinted his eyes and eyed her more carefully. Cat was already used to the look people in Japan gave her. It was always something between reservation and curiosity. Once he saw Ken standing next to her his expression changed immediately to a bright smile:

"Ichiguro, long time no see. How's your dad doing?"

"He's fine", Ken smiled back, "but he's always at his workplace."

"Yeah, I heard about his factory dismissing more and more people. It's a shame! So, you came to see Taku? He's in his room doin' homework. It's a little messy but come in."

"Sorry for the intrusion", Ken bowed his head before he kicked of his shoes and entered the apartment. Cat simply copied him. It was a good idea to persuade Ken. She still was not used entering a foreign home.

The hallway was as narrow as the rest of the house. Curiously, Cat eyed the traditional pictures and family crests on the walls. She almost forgot why she came here if Ken had not lightly pushed her in front of a door. She opened it without knocking beforehand.

"Wataya – san, you can't -", but Ken's protest came too late.

"Oi, Taku – kun or whatever, what ya up to?"

Surprised the head of the room's owner spun around and gave them a look of horror.

"Wha – what...?"

"I'm sorry, Taku. She just...", Ken tried to explain the situation but he lacked the right words.

However, Cat did not even say anything as she jumped onto the bed in front of the window. She crossed her legs and stared the boys in amusement. At first, Taku was obviously confused by her brazen behavior. He blinked his eyes and scratched his head. A few seconds later, he was aware of the situation and he did the only thing he could think of: he got angry.

"What the hell!? Are you looking for trouble?! Get out of here!"

He grabbed the girl by her collar and wanted to drag her out of the room. Swiftly, she spun around so that she was behind him and locked his arms behind his back. Once more, he was too surprise to even try to free himself.

"See, I'm much stronger than you, Taku- _chan_ ", she smirked and let him go. He tripped and fell on his knees. He glared at her:

"What the heck do you want from me?" This time it was Ken who answered:  
"Don't get mad, Taku-kun. We're still worried about you. Even if Wataya- san seems quite rude, she's just trying to help you…"

"I don't need anyone's help. I'm fine!"

"Well, and why do you need money that badly?", Cat raised an eyebrow and waved with a piece of paper she found on his desk. It seemed as if he was calculating something.

"Don't touch my things", Taku angrily wrenched the paper from her hand.

"I knew something was up. They threaten you, don't they? With what? Did you do a crime? Or do they have embarrassing pictures of you?"

"Stop talking nonsense and mind you own business!"

"Bulls eye!", Cat rejoiced. She brought her face closer to Taku's so that there was barely an inch between their noses, "spill the beans, Taku-kun!" Her gaze was too intense and too persistent. In the end, he buckled.

"It's just my part-time job, okay?", he confessed, "don't get the wrong idea!"

"What do you mean?", Ken asked in confusion.

"Well, I know some people. They give me some brand new items, like new manga and CDs, and I just sell it to some clueless kids in the school's washrooms. That's it!" And as if to prove his story, he got a plain box from underneath his bed. It was full of goods that were not on sale yet.

"Black market?", Cat raised an eyebrow.

"Hold it there, so you're basically saying that you're doing something illegal to make some pocket money?", Ken couldn't believe what his old friend just told him.  
"I wouldn't go this far", Taku mumbled, "I mean I don't steal them or anything...I just sell it."

"And the guys from your brother's school? Do they do the stealing?", Cat interrogated further. Taku just shrugged his shoulder:

"Dunno. I don't care how they get the goods."

"Goody, you say", Ken mumbled in disbelief, "what a shady business! Using kids for their benefits!"

"How much of the profit do you get?" Cat was still very curious.

"About 10%."

"That's quite a lot", she whistled approvingly, "and say, do you think they still need help?"

Ken's jaw dropped and he stared at her in shock. He already learned that she was braver and crazier than all the girls he met so far, but he couldn't believe what she just said.

"You're nuts? You really want to join these criminals? I thought we were here to help Taku." Cat just grinned mischievously:

"Well, what should I do? This is way bigger than I thought. Think about it, Ken-chan. This could be the deal of our lives. What do you think, Taku-chan?"

"Absolutely not, this is my business! Don't interfere!" the boy snapped at her.

"Come on", she put an arm around his shoulder, "we would be a perfect team. I could do business in the girl's washrooms. And anyway, both of us know wall about your secret now. Don't you think the teachers would be quite interested in this?"

Taku grimaced. They other two could see on his face that he was at odds with himself.

"Fine", he actually spit out, "I will talk to my business partners, but keep it a secret for now. Especially from my brother. He would rip my face off if he knew!"

"No problem", Cat smirked self-satisfied.

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 _ **End of Chapter Three.**_


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